Antique Portuguese Rare Azores Lace Doily - Delicate Fine Thread, Fluffy Snow

An extremely rare, airy Azores lace, antique floral round doily from the Azores Islands of Portugal.
This listing includes a small blue linen cloth for framing.

Crafted by hand using a bobbin with very fine, lightweight special thread, it has a soft, airy texture that seems to hold air. Both sides have a similar appearance.

The plump motifs, resembling baby's breath with pom-poms, evoke images of fluffy light snow, fine snow, or fresh snow. They might also resemble fine snow falling in the sky, wispy clouds, mackerel scales, or dandelion fluff floating on the wind across a meadow.

From a flower resembling a Western dahlia, multi-layered, delicate scallops spread out. It's difficult to count the exact number of layers, but roughly ten or more layers of petals form intricate linear patterns and clusters of threads, creating a fancy design.

The thread is likely cotton, linen, or a cotton-linen blend. While cotton thread offers softness, it also has a slight stiffness and firmness reminiscent of linen.

Despite its diameter of approximately 17 cm, it weighs less than 1 gram. The thought of the time and skill required to thread such fine yarn through tiny needle holes fills one with emotion. This lyrical piece, which evokes natural landscapes and poetic sentiments, deeply touches the heart as you gaze upon it.

Please excuse any errors in the amateur measurements of this handmade item.

Diameter: Approximately 17+ cm to 16.7 cm
Weight: Approximately 0.8g

Slightly colored ecru, off-white. It appears to have been used or handled in the past.

There is one flaw on the rim, a tear approximately 7.8 cm wide by 5 mm high, which has been repaired with very fine thread. Although the repair thread is fine, it is an ivory tone compared to the original thread.

There is also a connection point or stand approximately 3 cm high.

There are two light brown discolorations on the rim, fainter on the reverse side, measuring 1 cm x 6 mm and 2 mm x 3 mm within the pom-pom areas.

Within one of the repaired areas, the original thread remains as a folded loop, 16 mm x 2, indicating that the unbroken thread was carefully preserved. This loop is not visible when the piece is laid flat on its reverse side.

Azores lace itself is rare, and finding a piece in perfect condition is difficult. Even with flaws and repairs, the incredibly intricate and delicate handwork shines through, delivering a beautiful example of a unique and unparalleled traditional technique to the present day. The repair seems to have restored the original composition and shape to some extent.